CHANGING LIVES Around the World with the
by MEGAN MCDANIEL
Gospel
They are now going to church together and working on growing in their faith.
MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA Sebastian is 35 years old and lives in constant fear. He was born in a Christian family, but for the last few years has been struggling with his relationship with God. He thinks God will not forgive him for some of his sins. He saw a Facebook page run by LHM staff in the Middle East and North Africa about being comforted during crisis, so he sent a private message asking for help to deal with his fears. After messaging back and forth with the staff, Sebastian realized that he was not finding peace with himself or with God. Living in constant fear from the instability around him caused him to be uncertain and lose control of his life. The staff members helped Sebastian turn his knowledge about Jesus into a true relationship where he can enjoy the forgiveness of sins. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Sebastian said he wanted to leave his sin behind and become a new person. He prayed and wanted a strong relationship with Jesus. He was connected to a local Christian community that he is attending virtually and is reading his Bible daily to strengthen his relationship with Jesus. Sebastian is thankful that he can find comfort in the Lord.
20 | The Lutheran Layman Summer 2021
Simone has volunteered for LHM–Argentina for several years. She always looks for opportunities to share the Gospel, especially with her family members. Her brother and sister-in-law are non-Christians but were receptive to hearing the Gospel message from Simone. She gave them LHM–Argentina booklets and materials and encouraged them to learn more about Jesus. Through the power of God’s Word, earlier this year Simone’s sister-in-law decided she wanted to become a member at the local church and wanted her son to be baptized. They are now going to church together and working on growing in their faith.
ARGENTINA
KENYA Samson is 62 years old. He was raised in the Lutheran church but was not very interested in faith and only attended church for holidays like Easter and Christmas. His family did not have a lot of money, so Samson dropped out of school and got a job to make a living. He eventually completed his education and started a job at the local church distributing literature. A few years after starting that job, he met staff and volunteers from LHM– Kenya. He was interested in their Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) and became the LHM contact person in his area. He became a diligent volunteer and helped hundreds of individuals register for the courses. Under the leadership of his local pastor, Samson helped open five Lutheran churches before becoming a politician for several years. Recently the LHM–Kenya team visited Samson’s church for an Equipping the Saints program. He shared with the staff members how thankful he is for the LHM– Kenya team equipping him for a life of evangelism.
Peter is a vegetable seller at the local market and has been an active user of his MP3 player from LHM–Malaysia for a while. When he received his first MP3 player, his son took it with him to a logging camp in the jungle. He saw an opportunity to share the hopeful messages so the loggers can listen to the Good News and songs as they work. Peter replaced his first MP3 player with a new one for himself and takes it to work with him at the market every day. The other sellers enjoy listening to the songs and messages and say they always feel uplifted after they listen. Peter is thankful for the opportunity to share the Gospel message through his audio Bible and enjoys strengthening his faith as he listens to the messages.
MALAYSIA
